New Crisis Center in Honesdale Aims to Meet Rising Demand for Mental Health Support

As more residents across the region turn to crisis hotlines and community support networks, a new center in Wayne County is preparing to open its doors with the goal of meeting growing mental health needs.

The Center for Community Resources (CCR), which operates in 37 Pennsylvania counties, is launching the Northeast Regional Crisis Stabilization Center in Honesdale. An open house is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 12, to introduce the public to its expanded services.

“Our goal is to connect people to those community resources and supports that improve their everyday life within their individual communities,” said Victoria Toomey, the center’s outreach coordinator. “We are in 37 counties, so it looks different in each of those, but I would say just getting people the support that they need.”

CCR was founded in 2002 as a centralized hub for people navigating their mental health journeys. “Initially, the goal was to be a resource hub — a place where anyone going through their mental health journey could come to and get connected to providers or just local community resources that could be helpful,” Toomey said. “And then over time, we evolved into that provider role.”

Today, CCR offers a wide range of services, including early intervention, intellectual and developmental disability support, and crisis intervention — the focus of its newest expansion in Wayne County.

First-of-its-Kind Crisis Center in Wayne County
The new stabilization center will provide a homelike, non-clinical environment for people experiencing a mental health crisis — a model that Toomey said sets the center apart.

“It’s the first of its kind in Wayne County, so that’s really exciting,” she said. “The center does a really good job of feeling very comforting and not very clinical. We want people to come in and just feel kind of at home.”

The crisis program includes a 24/7 phone hotline, mobile crisis teams that meet people where they are, and around-the-clock walk-in services at 616 Main St. until the new facility is fully open.

Once the Park Street location begins operations, the center will offer two programs under one roof: a walk-in crisis urgent-care model on the ground floor and an upstairs crisis residential program with eight voluntary beds for stays of up to five days.

“The goal is to give people a place to go — an alternative to the emergency room during a mental health crisis — where they can come in and immediately meet with a specialist,” Toomey said. The residential program, she added, is designed to support people before they need inpatient treatment.

No Cost, No Insurance Needed
Toomey stressed that the walk-in center is open to anyone, regardless of age, insurance, or income.

“It is also no cost. You can walk in 24/7,” she said. “Even if you just need a place to kind of sit down and ground yourself when you’re going through a tough emotional time, we want to provide that space.”

Building Awareness and Trust
One of the biggest challenges, Toomey said, is simply making people aware that crisis services exist — especially in tight-knit or underserved parts of the county.

“I would say that a lot of times I’ll go to an event and talk to somebody and it might be their first time hearing about what crisis services really are,” she said. “In Wayne County specifically, it’s a very tight-knit community. A big way to connect people is just sitting down face-to-face and talking with them.”

Toomey said the upcoming open house is one more way to meet residents where they are.

“People can come and meet the team, take a tour of the facility, and just learn a little bit more about those services,” she said. “We’re so excited for people to see the building.”

Growing to Meet Community Needs
While funding and staffing are challenges for many mental health programs, Toomey said the center has benefited from strong county support and a growing workforce.

“We’re lucky that it has been going well, but we just want to keep growing,” she said. “There’s already been so much growth, but with this new center, now there’s a new place for people to go and continue to learn about our services and help break down that stigma.”

Toomey encourages anyone unsure about seeking help to simply make the first call.

“It doesn’t have to feel like the end of the world to make that call,” she said. “We have amazing crisis workers that are there 24/7. They can help you figure out what that next step might look like for you.”

More information is available at ccrinfo.org or by calling the Wayne County crisis line at 833-557-3224.

“Even if you’re just looking for community resources or local providers, don’t hesitate to call that number,” Toomey said. “We just want to serve our community.”

Image: The new location of the Center for Community Resources at 10 Park Street in Honesdale. (Credit: CCR)